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yah-ah! jemmy, you are right…i really thought that we both were feeling the same thing! and here i am…you know what i mean!!! shots?

Tony Meloto, the visionary and
> driving force behind the Gawad Kalinga movement, is
> gifted with a Doctorate of Humanities, Honoris
> Causa, by the Ateneo de Davao. He then delivers a
> speech to the graduates of the university, a
> challenge actually, for patriotism and heroism. The
> same message will be given to eight other colleges
> and universities who have asked Tony Meloto to be
> their commencement speaker for 2007.
>
>
>
> "The Filipino Spirit is Rising"
>
> Antonio Meloto
>
> 2007 Commencement Exercises
>
> Ateneo de Davao University
>
>
>
>
>
> Today, I feel intelligent. Not only am I addressing
> some of the brightest minds in Mindanao , but I am
> also being honored by this prestigious university
> with a Doctorate in Humanities, Honoris Causa. This
> is the first doctorate

that I have received and I am
> accepting it in all humility and pride as a
> recognition of the nobility of the cause and the
> heroism of the thousands of Gawad Kalinga workers
> that I represent. Thank you Fr. Ting Samson and
> Ateneo de Davao for bestowing the highest academic
> degree on a man who was born without a pedigree- the
> "askal" (asong kalye) who went to Ateneo and came
> back to the slums to help those he left behind.
>
>
>
> To a person like myself who did not excel in Ateneo
> in my pursuit of a college degree, receiving this
> Ph. D. is extremely flattering being fully conscious
> that my principal role in this movement is to be the
> storyteller of the many who put in the sacrifice and
> the hard work and yet have remained mostly
> unrecognized. It is also exhilarating because it
> builds on the growing global awareness, triggered

by
> Gawad Kalinga and other movements that have not
> given up on our country, that the Filipinos can and
> will build a squatter-free, slum- free and hunger-
> free Philippines by committing their collective
> genius, passion and strength towards restoring the
> dignity and the potential for excellence of the
> poor, the weak and the powerless.
>
>
>
> The Filipino spirit today is rising wherever he is
> in the world. He is starting to discover that he has
> the power to liberate himself from being a slave of
> the past… that he can remove the label stuck to his
> soul as a second class people from a third world
> country… that he can correct the scandal of history
> of being the most corrupt in Asia despite being the
> only Christian nation, until East Timor, in the
> region.
>
>
>
> In the right setting the Filipino has

proven that he
> can be law- abiding, hardworking, honest and
> excellent.
>
>
>
> Over the years, I have not met a Filipino beggar in
> my travel to the US, Canada and Australia…not a
> single beggar that I have seen or have heard of out
> of more than 2 million Filipinos in the US; many
> Caucasians, Afro- Americans and Latinos- yes- but no
> Filipinos. Clearly, it is not the nature of
> Filipinos to beg if he is in the right home and
> community environment. The mendicant culture in his
> native land is man- made and artificial and can
> therefore be unmade and corrected if we give him
> back his dignity which is his birthright as a son of
> God.
>
>
>
> In the same vein, we know that the Filipino is not
> lazy. Time Magazine in its 2006 article on Happiness
> identifies the Filipino as one of the ethnic groups
> in

America least likely to go on welfare. How many
> of us know of friends and relatives who would take
> on two or even three jobs in pursuit of their dreams
> for a better life. Hardworking when motivated,
> resilient when tested- that is the Filipino…that is
> us. It is no surprise therefore that the average
> income of the Filipino- Americans is higher that the
> US national average; the former slave is now richer
> than the master in his master’s home country.
>
>
>
> We must believe that we were designed for
> excellence. World- class Filipino doctors and nurses
> are healing the sick of America and Europe . Our
> sailors dominate the seas in every mode of marine
> transport for commerce and pleasure providing every
> imaginable form of service- and often always, they
> are the best navigators, the best chefs, the best
> entertainers. Thriving economies

in Asia carry the
> mark of Filipino managerial expertise in their
> start-up stage. Filipino CEOs, CFOs, COOs captain
> top multinational corporations carrying on the proud
> expat tradition of SGV’s Washington Sycip,
> PLDT-SMART’s Manny Pagnilinan, P&G’s Manny Pacis and
> many others.
>
>
>
> Sadly, we are top of the line, crème de la crème,
> the best of the best elsewhere in the world except
> in our homeland. While the Jews and the Arabs were
> busy building abundance out of their desert, we were
> busy creating a desert out of our abundance.
>
>
>
> Let us put a stop to our inanity and hypocrisy. Let
> us stop cracking jokes about our shame and misery.
> Instead let us celebrate with our hard work and
> integrity the return of our honor and pride as a
> gifted people, blessed by God with this beautiful
> land. Let us

honor every great deed, every
> sacrifice, and every kindness that we extend to our
> disadvantaged and needy countrymen.
>
>
>
> Let us put an end to our lamentation. We have
> suffered long enough. For 400 years, we have been
> gnashing our teeth, blaming one another, stepping on
> each other and yet have the temerity at the end of
> the day to ask God why this is happening as if it
> was His fault. It is now time to hope, to care, to
> work together and to rejoice.
>
>
>
> Yes, we will rise as a nation if we nurture this
> emerging beautiful spirit of the Filipino and
> cultivate an intelligent heart. How? When we show
> our love for God by being our brother’s keeper-
> giving land to the landless, homes to the homeless
> and food to the hungry. This is about love and
> justice in a country where the majority of our
> people

are landless, millions of them living in
> shanties and slums and 17% of them experiencing
> hunger in a rich and fertile land. This is not about
> charity but about authentic Christian stewardship
> and nation- building.
>
>
>
> We will rise as a nation when rich Filipinos will
> consider the poor as an heir, like our youngest
> child, equal in worth and dignity with our own
> children, deserving an equal share in our children’s
> inheritance. A beautiful spirit and an intelligent
> heart consider the poor as family, see the face of
> Christ in them, and see the paradise that every slum
> community can become. That is why every GK home is
> beautifully painted and the standard of landscaping
> of every GK village is Ayala Alabang or Ladislawa in
> the case of Davao .
>
>
>
> When we build first world communities for the
>

poorest Filipino, we give them dignity and first
> world aspirations that will motivate them to dream
> bigger and work harder with support and nurturing. A
> recent study of GK Brookside, Payatas conducted by
> the UP Diliman College of Economics revealed an
> amazing result – the confidence and self- respect of
> the residents, many of them former scavengers, rose
> from 17% before GK to 99% after GK; 93% consider
> themselves better off in terms of quality of life
> and 96% believe that their economic situation will
> improve in the future. Clearly the spirit of the
> poor is rising because those with the most share
> their best with the least.
>
>
>
> This nation will rise if her sons and daughters
> abroad will see wisdom in helping not just their
> relatives, which is an admirable Filipino trait, but
> also the poor they do not know who need help

the
> most.
>
>
>
> Last night, I arrived from a 1- week trip to the
> U.S. for the world premiere in Chicago of "Paraiso",
> the Gawad Kalinga movie, and to attend GK events in
> Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The movie was a big hit
> but the bigger hit for me was the phenomenal
> response of our patriots in America to help the
> motherland by building self-reliant and sustainable
> GK communities. The UST Medical Alumni Association
> of America Board was planning not just building more
> houses but also hospitals and community health
> programs through Gawad Kalusugan. USTMAA president
> Dr. Primo Andres is building a beautiful GK Village
> for his wife, Sylvia in Panabo, Davao where she
> comes from as an expression of his deep affection
> for her. Another Davaoeno, former Cabinet Secretary
> Cito Lorenzo, joined me in booming Las Vegas to
>

honor Filipino entertainers and realtors who are
> investing in the rebuilding of their home country.
>
>
>
> Passion for the Philippines was evident everywhere I
> went. From successful young San Diego businessman
> Tony Olaes who spoke about sleepless nights in his
> excitement to help fund 20 new GK villages with his
> Filipino business partners to the SouthCal Ancop
> Sikad Bikers pedaling to build Sibol Schools and the
> Bayanihan Builders who are retired professionals in
> Los Angeles repairing homes of neighbors to raise
> resources to build homes in Bicol, to the 8 nurses
> in NorCal working extra shifts to fund their
> individual GK villages. The Filipino exile is waking
> up and starting to unleash a stream of Patriot Funds
> that will augment the OFW flow in fuelling the
> Philippine economy.
>
>
>
> Today, I am here to

salute the beautiful spirit and
> the intelligent heart of the people of Mindanao ..
> Many of our volunteers here, like many in other
> parts of the country, build homes for the poor when
> they themselves do not own land or home. Christians
> here starting with caretakers from Couples for
> Christ set aside fear and comfort to serve our
> fellow Filipinos in Camp Abubakar and other Moslem
> GK communities. Your students are going out of the
> classrooms to learn about life and love of God and
> country by serving in poor communities. The LGU of
> Davao led by Mayor Duterte and many throughout
> Mindanao are doing massive land banking in
> solidarity with our conviction that no Filipino
> deserves to be a squatter in his own country. And
> many families here are starting to understand that
> giving a part of their land to give dignity and
> security to the landless and

homeless poor is not
> only right with God but also builds peace, triggers
> economic activity, improves land values-
> creates a win- win situation for all.
>
>
>
> And to you my dear graduates, what can I say?
> Congratulations of course for finishing what you
> began and for joining the ranks of the elite few of
> the Filipinos with a college degree. I thank your
> parents for their sacrifice and for giving us sons
> and daughters who will steward this country better
> than us.
>
>
>
> You are entering adult life equipped with a degree
> from a respected university at an auspicious time in
> the life of our country. It is your destiny to reach
> maturity during this great season of hope, this
> exciting time of awakening, this period of great
> challenge and heroism.
>
>
>
> You have the choice and the

opportunity to correct
> the mistakes of our generation and build a future
> full of hope in this country. You can be the new
> breed of political leaders who will gain your
> mandate through visible and quantifiable
> performance, rather than mastery of the art of
> winning elections through cheating and corruption.
> You can be the new captains of business and industry
> who will work for profit with a conscience,
> expanding the market base by wisely investing in
> developing the potential of the poor for
> productivity. You can be the new elite of this
> country who will not be happy to send your children
> to exclusive schools and live in exclusive
> subdivisions if out of school street children are
> ignored and Lazarus continues to live as a squatter
> outside your gates.
>
>
>
> Who can stop us from claiming our Promised Land?
> Spain is

not our master anymore. America is not our
> master anymore. Japan is not our master anymore. Our
> enemies are not the corrupt politicians, the greedy
> rich, the lazy poor, the religious hypocrites and
> other convenient scapegoats. Our enemies are not out
> there anymore. Our enemies are now within us.
>
>
>
> We have compromised our values and tolerated
> corruption. We have lowered our standard and
> tolerated poverty. We have sacrificed the truth for
> hypocrisy. We have chosen convenience for vision,
> popularity for leadership…and have chosen despair
> over hope.
>
>
>
> Do we fight or do we run? Is there a King Leonides
> among you who will fight for honor and freedom? Are
> there 300 Spartans among you who will confront our
> enemies with extraordinary courage and love? Can you
> be the army who will lead our people to

victory
> following the path of peace? Are you the generation
> of patriots who can shout to the world that no
> Filipino will remain poor because you will not allow
> it; that no Filipino will remain a squatter because
> you will not allow it; that no politician will
> remain corrupt because you will not allow it?
>
>
>
> If you are, then join us in Gawad Kalinga. Together,
> we can build a great nation, first world in the eyes
> of God and respected by other great nations.
>
>
>
> Godspeed to you our patriots and heroes. God bless
> our beloved Philippines .

I hate a lot of things… I hate my house coz it makes me comfortable and not want to move on! I hate my comfortable bed coz it makes me sleep till noon! I hate food coz it makes me full and fat! I hate TV coz they make me sit all day watching them! I hate computers, I tend to be stuck with them till morning! I hate six pack abs because I don’t have them! I hate flowers coz it makes others smile! I hate singers, why can they sing?! I hate music coz I can’t sing them! I hate school coz it interferes with my social life! I hate my social life coz it I can’t concentrate with schooling! I hate my friends because it makes me feel that I can’t live with out them! I hate my enemies coz they make me more angrier! I hate opportunities because they come in few amounts! I hate bad days, simply because I hate them! I hate Mondays, I have always hated them! I hate Christmas, because I still can’t afford to buy gifts for others! I hate beer coz it makes me crave and not want to stop drinking! I hate pizzas because they are great with beer! I hate cigarettes; they make me smoke! I hate a lot of things, but I specially HATE YOU!

BULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSHIT!